Ashley Jeffers writes Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Michigan. A certified night-owl, she spends most her nights writing, as her days are occupied being a full-time mom to three young children and working in an alternative education program for high schoolers. Both Heart of Lavora and her first novel, Blood of the Immortal, are available on Amazon and through Barnes and Noble. Thanks to a combination of ADD and OCD, she has several other projects in the works. She currently lives in Michigan with her husband, three kids, and two dogs. Find out more about Ashley's books by visiting her website: ashleyrjeffers.wordpress.com Welcome to author Ashley. Thanks so much for taking the time to fill out 27 Questions so readers can better get to know you and your work!1. What got you started writing to begin with? I’ve always enjoyed telling stories, but started writing in middle school. 2. What was the first thing you wrote? My first book was sort of a cross between Sabrina and Harry Potter, and was only about 100 pages (which I thought was impressive at the time). I’ve since abandoned that story, but may go back and improve it later on. 3. What inspires you? Most of my ideas come from dreams. I’ve had a lot of crazy ones! 4. Do you “people watch” for your writing? For the most part, no. I do have characters in my stories that are based on real people in my life, or a mash of a couple people, but it’s rare that I see someone and think, “Oh, they’d be perfect for this story.” 5. Who are you favorite authors? Growing up, I loved Mercedes Lackey and Christopher Pike. I’m also a fan of Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Anne Rice, and Kristen James. 6. What is your favorite book? My all-time favorite book (that I’ve read so many times I can quote parts) is The Starlight Crystal by Christopher Pike. 7. What genre do you most like to read? I like to read paranormal/fantasy romance, though I’m not opposed to others. 8. What genre do you write? Is this reflective of what you read? Actually, most of my work is paranormal romance or fantasy romance. I have a couple WIP that are outside of these genres, but not many. I do tend to read along the same genre that I write. 9. What genre do you have a difficult time with that you wish you could write? Science Fiction. I had a friend dare me to write a short story about robots/androids, and it was torture. There are so many fun things that can be done in that genre, but I just couldn’t seem to get into it. 10. What kind of research do you do or have you done for your story? Quite a bit, to be honest. It really depends on the story, though. For some, I don’t have to do much because it’s my world, not the real world. But for others, I have to make sure I’m staying true to the accepted ideas of whatever I’m working on. 11. Do you have any writing rituals like eating chocolate or lighting incense? I wish I could say I did something interesting, but I really don’t. 12. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind? Yes. The kind depends on what I’m working on at the time. I have a couple WIPs that I’ve created playlists for (with different kinds of music on them), and others I just listen to songs that are along the mood of the story at the time. Sometimes it’s love songs, sometimes upbeat, bounce-around music (ok, pop), and other times it’s hard rock or Emo. I rarely listen to country. 13. Introduce us to your current book. My latest published work is Heart of Lavora. It is a new adult fantasy romance about a 20-year-old college girl discovering that all the things she thought were just myths (love at first sight, magic, other worlds) actually exist, and she’s smack in the middle of a war that could destroy two worlds. 14. How long did it take you to write it? If I take out all the time I spent working on other projects, it was probably about a year. Realistically, it took about two and a half years, since I can never seem to focus on just one project at a time. 15. Which character(s) of yours do you most relate to? I feel like I relate to all of them in some way. With Skye, it’s her independence. She doesn’t like asking for help, and neither do I. Hanna is fiercely loyal to those she loves, and so am I. Aiden, Bryce, and Marek are protective of friends and family. 16. Who is your favorite character in this story? In this story, it’s Skye. Despite everything, she’s strong, and intelligent, and will fight for what she believes in. 17. Which character is the best role model for readers? Again, I’d have to say Skye. Although, Aiden would be a good role model for guys. He is strong and sweet, and won’t let anyone harm those he loves. 18. How did you decide on your cover? I found the image on a file-sharing site, and instantly knew it would be perfect for the story. 19. What do you hope people discover while reading your story? If a reader takes a new look at the world, or at life/love/friendship from my work, I’d be happy. I’ve had a reviewer complain that the love happens too fast in my stories, but I’m a firm believer in love at first sight (I’ve had it happen to me). I really hope others are able to see that love doesn’t have a timeframe. 20. Have you written anything else? Tell us about it/them. I have a paranormal romance published, Blood of the Immortal. It is the first in a planned trilogy, and is about a group of vampires and immortals. Quite a bit happens in the first story, so it’s a bit difficult to explain in just one paragraph. But it’s a story of love, family, trust, and betrayal. 21. Do you experience writers block, how do you deal with it? I think at some point everyone does. When I get it, I either move on to another WIP, or I just take a break and do something else entirely. Unfortunately, this can mean things take longer to complete. 22. What do you not like about writing? I don’t like that it can become an obsession at times. There are times inspiration just doesn’t want to wait for me to be able to write, and that drives me crazy. Of course, there are other times I’m on a deadline, but can’t pull a sentence out of the ether to save my life. 23. Are you working on anything now? I actually have a couple things that I’m working on. I’m hoping to have the second book in the trilogy done by the end of October, a fictionalization of a real love story that I’m hoping to have done by next August, and a few others that are just in the beginning stages. 24. How do you market your work? I post information about my books to different books on Facebook, I have contacted blogs about the books, and I have both books in two local bookstores near me. 25. What would you say to readers? Don’t be afraid to try out new stories. You never know when you’ll find a gem. 26. What would you say to writers aspiring or otherwise? Writing is a lot harder than you’d think. It’s real work, but it’s worth it. Don’t give up. Keep working and keep getting better. 27. Where can one purchase your book(s)? Both my books are available on Amazon in Kindle format and paperback. Heart of Lavora: http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Lavora-Ashley-Jeffers/dp/1508787115/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439921302&sr=8-1&keywords=Heart+of+Lavora Blood of the Immortal: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Immortal-Volume-Ashley-Jeffers/dp/1499176392/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
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Originally from Ohio, Julie always dreamed of a job in science. Either shooting for the stars or delving into the mysteries of volcanoes. But, life never leads where you expect. In 2007, she moved to Mississippi to be with her significant other. Now a mother of a hyperactive red headed boy, what time she’s not chasing down dirty socks and unsticking toys from the ceiling is spent crafting worlds readers can get lost in. Julie is a self-proclaimed bibliophile and lover of big words. She likes hiking, frogs, interesting earrings, and a plethora of other fun things. Welcome to author Julie. Thanks so much for taking the time to fill out 27 Questions so readers can better get to know you and your work!1. What got you started writing to begin with? I first started writing in 2011 when my sister called me from ship. She was serving aboard the USS George H W Bush and had entered an area where their internet access was restricted for security reason. Unfortunately that meant that her entertainment option were also restricted and she was bored out of her mind. When she asked for reading material, I put a story together for her. After the first few chapters, I started getting requests from her shipmates for the rest of the story. Apparently she had been sharing my work, but hadn’t bothered to send her friends the previous chapters. By the time the story was done, I was emailing around twenty sailors and getting requests for more stories. So I continued. 2. What was the first thing you wrote? My first story was a fanfiction based of an anime. It was fun, but nothing I would be really proud of. 3. What inspires you? Everything has something that inspires me. Mostly I get my ideas from people watching or dreams. 4. Do you “people watch” for your writing? All the time. Fact is far stranger than fiction is. You can see that in the types out there. Just watching them give me ideas. 5. Who are you favorite authors? I have a lot of favorite authors, but the ones I keep going back to are Piers Anthony, Patricia Briggs, Neil Gaiman, H. P. Lovecraft, and may others. 6. What is your favorite book? I’m not sure I have a favorite book. There are ones I go back to all the time and ones that I can pick up to read from any point in the book. The Hobbit is one of those. Love that story. 7. What genre do you most like to read? I read just about everything. I enjoy a good romance novel as much as I love the goosebumps I get from mystery or suspense novels. I’m not so much into horror because I have a vivid imagination and will never sleep again. 8. What genre do you write? Is this reflective of what you read? I write mostly paranormal, romance, and fantasy. I’m not so sure it reflects what I read as much as who I am. These are things I know and come easiest to me. I do have a science fiction story set, but I need to do some more research on that before I get started. 9. What genre do you have a difficult time with that you wish you could write? I haven’t really had a difficult time writing in anything yet. But I haven’t gotten into writing other thing. The only one that I’ve had issues with is the science fictions and that’s just due to the amount of research I’m going to have to put into. And that’s more of a time issue than anything dealing with actual writing. 10. What kind of research do you do or have you done for your story? I really don’t know how to answer this. Most to the research I do is looking up facts to make sure I have them right. A little mythology, a little history, and a lot of words to make sure their correct. I haven’t done anything that has required much research. 11. Do you have any writing rituals like eating chocolate or lighting incense? I would say coffee, but that’s more a necessity than a ritual. Otherwise the only thing I need is a nice quiet place and my computer. As long as I can concentrate, I’m good. 13. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind? I usually like it quiet. Music distracts my brain from what it’s supposed to be doing. But if there is noise in the background, I will get something with a upbeat tempo that has no words in it to distract me. Right now I’ve been listening to Purgatorium/Silver Night BMG on youtube. Someone has it on there for a 10 hour loop and it helps me when I need to concentrate. 14. Introduce us to your current book. Well, that would have to be For the Memory of Dragons. It’s the second novel in the Dragons of Eternity series. In this world, dragons are shape shifters and Eternity is a military force that is designed to police and protect dragons. For the Memory of Dragons picks up the hunt for a group that’s been killing dragons. We join Alex as he finds a major break in the case. Unfortunately, he is shot out of the sky and crash lands in a cornfield. Terra is drawn into his problems when she comes to help. With a missing memory and only a few clues to help, they have to work together to find out who he is while being chased by the people that want to stop him from remembering. 15. How long did it take you to write it? This one took me about three months to write. 16. Which character(s) of yours do you most relate to? Probably Terra. She is a resourceful farm girl that knows how to face an issue. I like that about her and can see it in myself. 17. Who is your favorite character in this story? Alex. Who doesn’t love a man without a memory? And the fact that he is dark and moody usually add to his character. 18. Which character is the best role model for readers? I don’t really think of my characters as role models. They’re there to entertain people. If I had to pick, I would say Alex. He’s a man with a mission, and he pushes through all odds to get it done. 19. How did you decide on your cover? I have a cover artist that loves dragons. I told her I wanted a dragon crashing into a cornfield—since that is the first main scene in the book—and she worked her magic. 20. What do you hope people discover while reading your story? Enjoyment. Since I’ve been writing to keep my sister busy in her down time, I aim to distract people from life for a while. I don’t try to add in any hidden life message in there. These are just for fun. 21. Have you written anything else? Tell us about it/them. For the Memory of Dragons is the second book in the Dragons of Eternity series. The first if On the Accidental Wings of Dragons. There is also a prequel to the series that features a few key characters, but is set much earlier in their timeline. That is A Castle for Dragons. On top of the dragons series, I have a series of five books and a novella dealing with vampires. That starts with Kindling Flames – Gathering Tinder. That deals with an ancient vampire that’s denying his life as a vampire. When problems arise in the supernatural world, the alpha of the local pack brings the problem to him, forcing him to have to deal with the life he’d left behind with the help of his new personal assistant—who knows nothing of the supernatural world. The first two books in that series were original supposed to be one book, but my publisher asked me to split it because it was too long—clocking in at over one hundred and fifty thousand words long. So the first one does leave you on a bit of a cliffhanger, but it goes straight into the second book. 22. Do you experience writers block, how do you deal with it? I take a nap of take a shower. Usually that will help clear whatever is blocking me out. Or I gather my nick-knacks and go to the coffee shop to watch people. The change of scenery usually helps. 23. What do you not like about writing? Spelling and grammar. I know they are important, but they are my bane. I’m just glad that I have an editor that will deal with me. 24. Are you working on anything now? Right now I am working on the third book to the Dragons of Eternity series. I hope to have it done by the end of August. 25. How do you market your work? Most of my marketing is done through social media and blog sites. I spend a lot of time pushing the first book in the series. Once they get into that one, they will carry on over to the next. 26. What would you say to readers? Thank you. Without you, wouldn’t do what I do. And I hope you find a few hours of escape between my pages. Being a published author is a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. There’s a lot more involved than just putting a story together. You are putting your thought and ideas out for the world to see, and the world is not a nice place. You will be judged, hard. The best thing I can tell you is spend time with your work and make sure it’s the best it can be. Get someone to read it before you put it out there and listen to what they have to say with a critical ear. And the hardest thing to do—don’t take the bad reviews to heart. Your work may not fit everyone’s tasted. Write was please you and be true to yourself. And never stop. Being an author is a lucrative business and your audience is fickle. Just keep going. 27 .Where can one purchase your book(s)? For the Memory of Dragons will be release on August 31 on amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011WJIAYA/ It will also be available on Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks after it’s release. The rest of the books are also available on all of these platforms. For a complete list check out my amazon authors page at http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Wetzel/e/B00MTMBD6C/ . Website and Social media links http://www.juliewetzel.com/ https://www.facebook.com/JulieWetzelAuthor https://twitter.com/JulieKWetzel http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Wetzel/e/B00MTMBD6C/ CC Hogan is a writer and musician who loves growing hot chilies, cooking, and generally thinks that laughter is the best form of love. He spent many years in the media and entertainment industry but now enjoys peace, quiet, wine, and special moments. He is a very private person; he finds it cheaper. Welcome to author C.C. Hogan. Thanks so much for taking the time to fill out 27 Questions so readers can better get to know you and your work!1. What got you started writing to begin with? I find it very hard to pin point a time where I moved from not wanting to write to feeling I had to. I think I was probably very young. When I was older I moved into the media industry where words are the axis around which all ideas revolve. I have always been more creative than analytical so anything that moves ideas from my brain to someone else’s is very attractive. I find I get less headaches of frustration with words, so that is what I end up doing most. I am a little worried that it is becoming an addiction! 2. What was the first thing you wrote? I was trying to work this out the other day. Some years ago I made a conscious effort to chuck out all my school books which my parents had insisted needed to be kept for some unexplained posterity. Sadly, for you, this means that out went anything written when I was very young. It is probably a good thing, however. The earliest works I can remember, without the now discarded supporting evidence, tend to be poems. I love writing poetry, but I am not sure I am very good at it. It also can make me cry which is damned embarrassing! 3. What inspires you? This is an easy one: quiet moments. I come from an industry where the off switch is surgically removed from you as an apprentice; distancing myself from that world has allowed me to reinstall this vital human component and I can now find the time to sit, wonder and let what passes by inspire me in anyway it sees fit. If I were to try and find something in particular that inspires me, I think it would be what I call “natural comedy,” the ability for something to make you smile whoever you are and whatever circumstances one is in, however tragic. Seeing someone with a deadly serious face, trip very slightly and break into a tiny smile, can make my day very special. 4. Do you “people watch” for your writing? Oh, very much so, and so do my characters. People watching is something we all do all the time, it is a very important part of human communication. It is one of the problems with modern communications in that we remove some of the vital senses from our experiences with others like touch, smell, taste, and so end up with a very incomplete picture with our brains desperately trying to fill in the gaps from our library of experiences. Smell, the main character in The Stink, writes all his songs by watching others. He doesn’t try and second guess them or pretend he really knows them, he just watches and makes up a story. It can create the most beautiful moments too; lying next to someone in a park, making up stories of those you both can see, is probably one of the most romantic and sensory moments you can experience. 5. Who are you favorite authors? I struggle with this one often as I have the most terrible memory for names. However, a few authors I love, even though I rarely have time to read them: Charles Dickens, mostly for his wondrous character names, Peter Carey, for his strange and almost cartoon like characters, and Umberto Eco for just being too damned clever. 6. What is your favorite book? 21st Century Blues by Steve Walker. It is probably not the best book in the world, but it made me laugh in all the right places. 7. What genre do you most like to read? I think I end up with Fantasy rather too much. I am not sure why, but maybe because it sometimes offers a simpler view of a world, a simpler life. Let’s face it, when Tolkien invented Hobbiton, he described a village where he wanted to live. 8. What genre do you write? Is this reflective of what you read? At the moment I admit to two Genres. The Stink is set in London in the 1970s and is a young adult book about a young band. Dirt, on the other hand, is a huge, sprawling fantasy set on a world called Dirt. But really, everything is fantasy – even if I set a story around where I live at the moment, it would still be my interpretation of it, and that is going to be fantastical simply because it is not reality. 9. What genre do you have a difficult time with that you wish you could write? I fancy the idea of writing a mystery of some sort. I rather like Sherlock Holmes kind of stories, but I have yet to come up with a strong idea that doesn’t collapse in an illogical heap. “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever is left should probably be chucked in the trash!” 10. What kind of research do you do or have you done for your story? The Stink has a slight autobiographical streak running through it in that it is set in my own teen era, so the research consisted of sitting in the corner, getting drunk, and remembering me and my friends. I did phone a few people I haven’t heard from for forty years and quiz them. That was scary. Dirt has been quite different. Although a fantasy, I wanted to make the world feel real. Like many other fantasies it is set in a medieval kind of environment, just with dragons attached. I was very keen that there was no cheating so that when I needed people to get from A to B nice and quick, there was no convenient wizard that could make up for the lack of a jumbo jet with a wave of a wand. So, I have spent time reading up about how fast people can travel in a wagon, about infantry speeds and supplies, about coping with weather, lighting fires and all the other things that can trip people up in a real world without technology. My notes for the books are now novel sized in their own right. Note taking and research have not only become vital for the books, but fun too! 11. Do you have any writing rituals like eating chocolate or lighting incense? I like this question! Roald Dahl, famously, had his little shed with his favorite armchair where he wrote all his books. Environment is incredibly important and getting that right is what rituals are all about. I have yet to get that perfect and part of trying to become an author is about eventually earning enough money to find my perfect tiny cottage where I can be as ritualistic as I need and write every hour of the day. Part of that is accompaniments, like chocolate and incense. For me it is the espresso coffee machine that sits by my desk and the queue of cheap wine waiting to be consumed. Incense is good too! 12. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind? I do sometimes, but since I am also a musician, this can create a conflict of interests. I also speak out loud when I am writing, especially writing dialogue, and that can be a problem if the music is vocal heavy. I do like the atmosphere created by music, however, and will chose artists like John Martyn, JJ Cale and Ry Cooder to jolly me along. Such creative gentlemen! Oh, very partial to Melissa Etheridge too. She has a challenging streak to her words that wake me up. 13. Introduce us to your current book. Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome onto the stage, The Stink! (Please stand up and cheer.) London in 1976 was an interesting place. Industrial strife was building, the National Front was spewing out their vile messages, our parents were finding homophobic comedians funny and the economy was in a really bad place. So what happened? Well, the sun came out and refused to go away for the entire summer. It was the longest, hottest summer on record and if you were sixteen and had just finished your O-Levels, you were in Nirvana! Smell, Aroma, Haze, Stench and Fart are five friends putting together a band and trying to get their first gig. They are young, crazy, silly and innocent and determined to have fun. Getting mixed up with a group of murderous tramps, lugging generators around to power rehearsals, facing racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia was not exactly on their to-do lists, but when you are 16, creative and adventurous, anything can happen. And then there is that falling in love thing! The Stink is nothing if it is not a comedy, but it is also about real people and if you laugh with them most of the time, don’t be surprised if suddenly you are crying with them. They are the teens we all were or wanted to be, living at a time that was fun, occasionally creative and totally lacking in mobile phones! Read loads more at http://thestinkbooks.com 14. How long did it take you to write it? I started writing it several years ago and struggled with the first fifty thousand words. But then last year I kicked myself hard and got down to it properly and finished the first draft in five weeks, loving every moment of it. 15. Which character(s) of yours do you most relate to? The five heroes are all people I remember from my own teenage years, but the two I am closest to are Smell and Aroma. Smell is not really me, apart from the writing songs bit, but I understand him and his confusion about the world. I want to sit down and tell him that he will work it out one day and it will be cool. Aroma is simply my first girlfriend and I love her like crazy. 16. Who is your favorite character in this story? I am very fond of Frank, the old Jamaican who gives Smell a job and helps the band out when it all goes wrong. He is a warm and strong man who accepts young people as they are and does not judge too quickly. Parents in the 21st century have different relationships to their kids than back in the Seventies. They listen to similar music, went to similar schools and had the same teen angst. Back in the seventies that wasn’t so, and the gulf between the young generation and the older generation was huge. Characters like Frank who could bridge the gap were rare and are fondly remembered. 17. Which character is the best role model for readers? Ooh, I am not sure. All my characters have faults so I would not recommend role model status for any of them completely. Perhaps Smell is the one I would like for others to follow just a little. He is incredibly creative and just a touch anarchic inside. In one scene, he sees a young boy playing with his food in a burger bar and being told off by his mother. The boy is looking at a tomato thinking that it is staring at him. As the friends leave the restaurant, Smell whispers in the boy’s ear, “Yeah, I thought it was staring too.” The boy then gives the tomato a vicious stab. When one of the other members of the band asks what that was about, Smell replies, “Someone had his creativity trodden on. I was just giving it a bit of first aid.” I like that Smell would take the time to think about that sort of thing. 18. How did you decide on your cover? This was purely financial – I didn’t have any money. So, I drew my own using photoshop. It probably is far from the best cover, but I hope it is at least distinctive. 19. What do you hope people discover while reading your story? This will depend on the audience. For people my age, in their fifties, I hope they will rediscover the world of their youth; a world where the teenager came into their own, but had yet to be ensnared by modern communications. When we left our front door, our parents had no way of tracking us down, had no computer to spy on and we could be as private as we liked. That was true freedom. For young people now, I hope they will discover that despite the lack of mobiles and the internet, us oldies were exactly like them. We struggled with love, with parents, with life and with friends and we fell in love/hate on a minute by minute basis. We were the original teens and the world the teen has now is our gift to them. 20. Have you written anything else? Tell us about it/them. The big book is Dirt which I am currently proofreading and working on the artwork for the first three books. It is immense and I have just finished writing book 5 plus a short story and a novella with another 7 in the pipeline. Dirt is a world of humans and dragons, but possibly not a world that many dragon lovers have encountered before. Like many fantasy dragons, my lot speak and have opinions, but it struck me that an intelligent dragon if she were real would be less than happy living in a damp cave. So dragons on my world have a culture, have opinions, have politics, sex-lives, families, villages and the rest. They are just rather bigger and can fly. The first three books tell the story of Johnson Farthing, a poor cart-pusher in a small coastal town, whose sister is kidnapped by slavers. What starts out as a simple chase across a continent slowly evolves into a huge political saga as Johnson and the girl he loves, try and transform their world from one of autocratic and tyrannical leaders to one where the ordinary person has a say in their own lives. The world is complicated, multi layered, detailed and as real as I can make it. The characters love and hate, laugh and cry, are heroes and are silly, and all, humans and dragons, have needs, fears, pain and sorrow. But despite the world encompassing story, the politics and the wars, ultimately this is a story about friendship and family and the need to find somewhere to call home. Like The Stink, it will have its own website where I will be putting up maps, background histories and much more over time. http://aworldcalleddirt.com/ 21. Do you experience writers block, how do you deal with it? I am not a believer in writers block in that I think it is rather a vague term to cover lots of other problems and not something to be dealt with in itself. The real problems can be anything from not feeling well to messing up the plot or creating a useless character. If you are suffering from “Writers Block,” maybe rather than trying to find some mad trick, try and work out what the problem really is. Loads more about this here: http://cchogan.com/i-dont-have-writers-block/ 22. What do you not like about writing? Quick and easy – my terrible spelling and occasional blindness to words. I am not dyslexic, but sometimes I think I am close and I get frustrated. Word processing has been my savior! 23. Are you working on anything now? I think “Dirt” is going to be my full time project for the next couple of years, but I also want to squeeze in a sequel to The Stink which will be set 2 years later when they are 18 and go on the road. It will definitely be naughtier and a lot less innocent. I also have a couple of other comedy ideas up my sleeve. 24. How do you market your work? At the moment it is down to social media since I am broke. So, wonderful ideas like this 27 questions is perfect for me! 25. What would you say to readers? READ MY BOOKS! Too subtle? One of the biggest kicks I get out of writing my books is reading them back which I do out loud, often standing up to get a bit of a performance going. I am a great believer that people are basically funny and even a psychopath will giggle at something silly. I try and get that into my books and my characters, so if you find that my characters are not “terribly dark” all the time, maybe it is because what they really are is real people; even my dragons. 26. What would you say to writers aspiring or otherwise? Aspire! I have written a million words over the last year and even if I only sell one book (which would be very depressing), I have really enjoyed the process of writing. The trick is to keep writing, even if it is rubbish. Make loads of silly notes, try not to make the process academic, and remember that in the end you are a story teller. You are the person sitting in that old tavern, telling a story to a group of people while drinking big pots of frothy beer. Make your audience laugh, cry, think, dream and, most importantly, want to spend time with you and your characters. Some authors love to talk about the “loneliness” of writing, the pain of being an author and so on. Well, load of self-indulgent rubbish, basically. How can one be lonely if you are spending time with such wonderful people like Smell or Aroma, or dragons in my Dirt books like Fren-Eirol and Mab-Onin? Get your pencil out, open your laptop, or however you are going to write, create your characters and fall in love with them. It is a complete joy! 27. Where can one purchase your book(s)? The Stink is available through Amazon at the moment in both Kindle and Paperback. Here is a link: http://getbook.at/the-stink-kindle Links Blog: http://cchogan.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/Its_CCHogan Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/cc-hogan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cchoganauthor Dirt: http://aworldcalleddirt.com/ The Stink: http://thestinkbooks.com/ Audio of The Stink, Chapter 1: https://youtu.be/gHpARYuWd_g The Stink Trailer: https://youtu.be/njIVj1ewwk8 #THESILVERSWAN by #JessicaLorenne is available for pre-order at $0.99 until August 25th. Order yours now before the #earlybirdspecial for this#book is over!
AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Swan-Tales-Everm…/…/ref=sr_1_3… BARNES & NOBLE: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/…/1122449412;jsessionid=1AEBF… ITUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1025013818 KOBO: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-silver-swan-6 SMASHWORDS: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/566376 The next tale of Evermagic is on its way. Aderes’s sister, the future queen of Eale, has been chained and abused because of accusations Aderes doesn’t believe. With her escape, Aderes is now left with the burden of their kingdom. But as her sister gives in to the curse of the black swan, and Aderes tries to keep the kingdom together, she comes to discover that the people she thought were her allies, are now her foes. And worst of all, their leader, is the man that she loves.
To keep updated on The Silver Swan, sign up for the newsletter. Check back on wattpad for the first four chapter releases. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones ★★★★★ I’ve just finished reading Howl’s Moving Castle for the second time in my life. I was introduced to it by a dear college mate of mine who’s been a friend for most of my life. In her good wisdom she had me read the book before letting me watch the movie.
I will say now. I adore both mediums, which must be credited to the nature of the story rather than its details (though both are excellent). I will later do a review on the film, and then a side by side comparison so that my feelings on each take may help the reader or viewer understand why both stories should be appreciated. First off. The main plot of the story is that Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three, and it is said that the eldest of three children will have the least luck, and the youngest the most. Sophie has accepted this as her lot in life, and goes on quite content to be a nobody. That is until she is cursed by the Witch of the Waste to be a frail old woman. After this event she decides to go off and find fortune for herself (what was the worst that could happen since the worst already had?), but she then runs into a heap of inconveniences which leads her to Howl’s moving castle. She is able to secure a place in his home, not at all afraid of his trying to eat her heart as the rumors have said, for she is no longer a young woman, which it seems is his only prey. Sophie, however, unwittingly falls in love with him, and when he starts courting her sister Lettie she is quite fearful her sister’s heart will be broken. It is not until he seemingly starts courting a stranger that she becomes jealous and her true feelings are revealed. It is at this point the Witch of the Waste’s curse on Howl catches up with him, and Sophie discovers that nothing is at all what it seems, and not at all what she thought Howl’s intentions were. They were better. Diana Wynne Jones has done a fantastic job of creating a world where such distinct characters can live. Without overworking the dreaded “world building” she is able to distinguish a land of fancy that is subtly, but obviously different from our own, so that when ours is introduced, we know without having to be told that there is a shift in dimension. Throughout the chapters she tells her story by showing us the things that Sophie thinks, and must endure to adapt to her new situation. We learn and feel with Sophie, hoping for the best on her behalf because we are her secret friend through her journey. Jones is able to weave anticipation through the use of every day living and subtle hints to the underlining danger that will no doubt rear its ugly head at the story’s end. She makes great use of her characters, playing them against each other and building off their interactions so that we are included in on the gossip even though we are only getting one point of view. This is one of those books that I just can’t put down. Though it’s my second time reading it, and I have seen the film many times, this book is one of those I keep in my purse while reading just so I can catch a few sentences in between the things I must do. It keeps me smiling, and enjoying a story I already know, but can’t help but love. For authors it is a good example of using repetition, whether it be in something a character thinks, or says, and especially in the consistency in how characters interact and treat one another. I had a difficult time finding this book in stores until I happened to ask for it at a Barnes & Noble I was passing through for other purposes. It seems a silly thing since my friend only today mentioned she had seen it at Target. Wherever you go for it make sure to look in the juvenile section. It was the last place I thought to inspect with all those blocks, and kid-books in that part of the store where parents can keep their kids entertained and get them interested in reading. Good luck! And enjoy. I always do. Easy Fortune Happy Life: Taiwanese Drama
2009, TV-14, 27 Episodes ★★★★☆ SYNOPSIS Yan Da Feng's grandfather was a hunter who had been injured. He survived because he was treated by Huang Chun Xiang, an herbalist who treated him with herbal medicine. He fell in love with her, and promised he would come back for her. Years passed and Da Feng's grandfather never did come to get Chun Xiang. Chun Xiang grew old, but never gave up. She still waited for him to come get her. Chun Xiang was also raising her daughter's kids, Xie Fu An and Xie Pi Dan with their loyal dog Anthony. Xie Fu An also studied herbs. One day as she was treating patients in the local hospital, Da Feng's grandfather was rushed to the hospital due to a heart attack. Fu An gave him herbs which helped him regain consciousness. After he woke up, Fu An face looked very similar to Chun Xiang. He announced that he would give away his fortune to the one who marries Fu An. Da Fengs doesn't like this and sends out a killer to end her (not knowing who Fu An is). Realizing that Fu An was the girl he met in the village, he agrees to marry her for the money. When Da Feng has feelings for Fu An, he regrets setting all his traps to send her away. With their feeling starting to grow, will Han Dong Jie and Jiang Zhen Zhen come in their way? Will Xie Fu An and Yan Da Feng be together for eternal love? Or will they separate their ways... REVIEW My friend got me hooked on Asian Dramas and this is my latest watch. I found four reasons to like this drama and only one reason to hate it, thus the four star rating. The Good:
The Bad:
I mean. The male lead can be a real jerk sometimes. In fact, in most rich guy learns to love poor girl stories, he is always a jerk. But Yan Da Feng really takes the cake here. Not only does he try to prevent an operation to save his grandfather’s life (ok, well, let’s be honest. The whole family wanted the guy to die so then spurring forth the story), he runs over an innocent bike (ok, that’s a normal jerk-guy thing to do I suppose), but here it is: he tries to get a person killed, causes a person’s death, takes advantage of the nice country bumpkin girl, has a girlfriend while trying to trick the bumpkin into marrying him, and has an all out bad attitude. Like. Bad guy! No one wants to be friends with this person, and for good reason. And to be honest, we’re not given much time to change our mind about him when he does finally make his turn around. Putting aside the whole cliché archetypes and plot, the hero sucked, and the girl chose the wrong guy. There always seems to be a really nice alternative for the poor girl, and yet she chooses the jerk. You know its coming because the opening sequence makes it very clear who this story is about. But it doesn’t dampen the frustration one feels when she’s being treated so good by one guy, and yet chooses the one whose been an *insert curse here* to her. Though ultimately the male lead does learn his lesson, and comes to deserve the girl he’s learned to love (though not as satisfactorily as most awful rich guy characters), I keep on wishing these super nice girls would stop choosing the “bad boy” and finally see the light. But to give credit to the actor playing said bad boy, he did a really good job of disgusting me and making me hate him, and wish (even after he made his change) that she would have picked the other guy. The other guy, Han Dong Jie, had me from the beginning, and the more time went on, the nicer he got, and the more I wanted our leading lady to pick him over Da Feng. Many props to the actor in this position also. He made me fall in love with him, and that’s what the leading man ought to do! Though I feel he got jilted due to some poor production. Ending my rant there on the male characters. I’ll admit, there were some awkward bits throughout the story. Though some of them I can understand. While our leading couple is trapped in an amusing foreshadowing situation, grandma is trapped in a burning house. Though I see the irony in this, it was unsettling to cut back and forth from a cute romantic scene to a dramatic one that ended in death. In conjunction with that, the quality of production was so-so. Not quite your B-Movie, but still lacking in filming, editing, and cinematography (where were you when the couple’s car changed from red to white in one of the final scenes? Did you think I wouldn’t notice because I was reading subtitles?) And let’s be honest, though some martial art skills were put to use, the filming and stunting was so bad I giggled when I should have been at the edge of my seat hoping the bad guy wouldn’t overtake the “good guy”. Ok. So I was hoping Da Feng would die when he was trying to save the girl (and he only did that because if she died he wouldn’t get any money), or when that knife came down through his kiwi suit, and if not then, then I really hoped he wasn’t going to make it when he so hilariously stumbled off the cliff and went rolling down into some forest. Even Dong Jie’s fight scenes were disappointing, and it seemed he might actually have been able to produce solid stuff if it weren’t for the poor production value. Aside from my disappointment with the same old choose the bad boy over the nice guy (I guess nice guys do finish last in these dramas), some awkward editing choices, and even poorer post-production quality, I really did enjoy this drama. Some others may disagree, but ignoring the same old storyline of the many rom-com ventures, this one had some freshness that was enjoyable. The sense of loss was real, the humor was well placed and fun, the characters had a well developed arch, and there was a satisfactory conclusion even if it wasn’t the one I wanted.
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle ★★★★☆ I grew up watching the animated version of The Last Unicorn, and though I had always enjoyed the story, the art of the time wasn’t something I was ever in to, and I always found something lacking. My impressions of the movie’s story was that it was a pleasant fairytale, but had little depth.
Of course the book is different. The pieces of the tale that were taken out (I imagine to save screen time for the basic plot line that would keep children’s attention) made for a more enjoyable story. The prince wasn’t just a prince, the wizard wasn’t just a clumsy wizard, the scullery maid had more character and background, and the unicorn was a much more sympathetic and majestic character whose pain became real. The basic story is that a unicorn discovers she is the last of her people, and so goes in search for the rest of them. She learns on the way that they have been driven away by the Red Bull, and is then met by two who would become her companions: a wizard who hasn’t much control over his magic, and a scullery maid who’s been living in the forest with would be Robin Hood’s merry men. They journey together during which time they happen upon many adventures, but the most bleak of them is coming to the town of Hasgate (which, mind you, was not a mentioned plot twist in the movie version). They learn that this town is cursed, and its fate twisted in with that of their ruler, King Haggard. The Red Bull finds them, and after chasing the unicorn about until she has no choice but to be herded by him, the wizard transforms her into a human to save her, the worst of fates for one of her kind. The Red Bull, confused by her transformation, leaves, and the companions journey on to the castle. There they meet the well-named king, and his adopted son, who––unbeknownst to his father––is his and Hasgate’s doom. But most pathetically of all, Prince Lir falls in love with the unicorn, and the longer she remains there trapped in a human body, the more she forgets who she is, and her quest to save her people. With so much more at risk than the disappearance of unicorns, and character development that is deeper and presents a more interesting fate, the book version of The Last Unicorn is a worth while read. Through it Peter S. Beagle uses poetic imagery that is pleasant and creative. I would recommend any author to read this book for that sake alone. Instead of the clichés we are used to as readers, Beagle uses fresh and imaginative imagery that is beautiful to read. I give The Last Unicorn 4 stars out of 5 only because, though it was a fun read and a great tool for myself as an author, it lacked that magic something that made me want to read every chance I got. That need and desire to learn the story as quickly as possible so I was driven to stay up late and find out what happens next. I don’t believe my already knowing the story has anything to do with this because I have read books that--no matter how many times I read it or how well I know it--I will read it again and again as fast as I can because I simply can’t put it down. As a whole however, I really did love this story. The book was a much more interesting and romantic telling than I thought it would be because of the more basic nature of the film. It's one I will keep in my collection forever. Now the only thing I wish was that I had read the story before seeing the movie so that I could have imagined it with my own mind, rather than keep defaulting to the animated film version’s of their looks, voices, and mannerisms. So if you haven’t seen the movie, read the book first, and then go view it for yourself. The film’s adaptation is a good one, but leaves such a distinct impression that you will have a hard time shaking free of its influence while reading its predecessor, the book. |
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